Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-01-24
NEW WATER ROUTE
CONNECTING THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
WITH LAKE SUPERIOR.


Dig a Big Canal-The Routes Suggested
and the Advantages To Be Derived
The Question of "wIm It Pay9" Con-
siiered.
ST. PAUL, Mimi, jan 4-The committee
from the St Paul chamber of commerce has
prepared report, which will be submitted
| to that body, recommending memorials to
the legislatures of Wisconsin and Minnesota
In favor of appropriations for canal to con-
meet the waters of Lake Superior and the
Mississippi. The report is based on reports
| of engineers who have made surveys. The
report says: Three routes were surveyed by
L. K Stannard and r. r. Davis, one from
Taylor's Falls by way of St Croix river to
Namekagon river, up this river and across
the summit to White river, and by that to
the lake. Another by the st. Croix to Up
per st. Croix lake, thence across the summit
| to the Boise Brule river, thence to the lake.
| A third route at St Croix to Kettle river, up
to Moose lake, and from Hanging Horns lake
to Left Hand river"
Their conclusions were that the small ap.
| preparation did not give them either time or
| means to make any accurate survey Of any
route; that the Namskagon route, $50 miles
long, was Objectionable on this account; that
| the Brule river was the shortest and the best,
| being 1855 miles long, but had the disadvant-
| age of having no natural harbor at the lake
and the Kettle river route, about 200 miles
| long was the most expensive of the three, but
hal good harbor already improved at SUI
perior bay.
A survey by Maj. ]. G. Allan, of the
United States engineers, has settled the prac
ticability of the scheme He says: ut can
be done by constructing a dam one mile
above the mouth of Moose creek, on the st.
Croix high enough to raise the water TWEEN
ty-fve feet; cutting canal seventy five feet
wide, twelve feet deep, one and one-haii
miles across the summit, and building a dam
in town 90, range 10, across the Brule river,
| high enough TO raise tho water to the same
height as the dam on the st Croix, and you
construct a lake thirty miles long, affordine
| uninterrupted nauig alton across the summit
| for that distance, and utilize the waters Of
the St Croix and its branches and the Brule
| and the amount OF water Q5300 cubic feet
per minute from the St Croix and !, 80,
from the Brule) is sufficient to pass vessel.
| through locks seventy-tv feat wide, 800 feel
long. and twelve and one half feet lift at tn,
rate of three miles per hour, or seventy-twC
miles in twenty four hours at the driest sea
| son of the year"
He estimates twsnty-eight locks and dam
between Saltwater and the summit. ant
thirty locks and ten dams on the Brule river
and the whole cost at less than $S,000,o0)
with an average cost per mile of $40, coo
Continuing. he says; "Will it pay to spen,
this moneys 1t costs now from to cents
bushel to ship wheat by rail from Prescott t.
Lake Superior, and it has to pass through
one elevator if not two, on the route B,
water it can be carried for cents pei
bushel The same for a bushel of corn l
now costs about 80 per ton for ali tina
lass of goods received in exchange fo
grain, oil, coal, salt, iron. and machinery
| With this improvement this class of good
can be carried for to cents per ton. Th,
surplus crops Of northwest Visor
sin, including the valleys of tn
| Chippewa and St Croix rivers, capable
of producing IS, o00, 600 bushels of wheat an
nual!y, if they do not do it at present, am
southern Minnesota 100000 bushels O
wheat and other products, equal in tonnag
to one third of the amount, or q, 900, 90
bushels surplus; this improvement Oh export
alone would be saving to the states of s.,
900, 900 year"
Hon II. NJ. Rice says that with the i'm
provements contemplated by the Canada
government in Welland and Lachine cana
and the enlargement of St Mary's canal an
Hay river, this new canal will bring III
products of this region $40 to $40 miles neare
| the markets Of the world
| The report urges that the national congres
be memorialized on the subject